Chapter 116
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Turning Point (1)
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Shin Jia was in her room, talking to Kang Seoyul on the phone.
So it really was you who dealt with the gate, Seonjonim?
That's right.
She'd suspected it might be, given the fire magic, and sure enough, she was right.
What'd he say?
Ha Siyeon, sipping tea on the sofa opposite her, asked casually.
Shin Jia covered the phone's microphone with her hand and replied.
He said he took care of it.
Ooh.
Ha Siyeon pursed her lips in admiration.
Is someone with you?
Huh? Ah, yes. Siyeon. We were supposed to train together at my place today.
So she's staying the night?
Yes.
The current time was 11:20 PM.
It was too late for her to go back.
Things are chaotic because of the gate, and it could be dangerous, so I told her to stay over.
Good thinking.
At Kang Seoyul's gentle praise, the corners of Shin Jia's mouth lifted high.
If she had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously.
Jia. Ask him about the gate that opened today.
Ah, okay.
The Gray Out and the gate opening.
Could Kang Seoyul have known about this beforehand?
Seonjonim... about what happened. Did you... happen to know about it in advance?
She was half in doubt.
It was just that, since Kang Seoyul had handled this sudden crisis, she thought there might be a chance he knew.
Yes. I knew.
Ah...
Kang Seoyul affirmed it without hesitation.
He knew?
...Yeah.
The two women's expressions became complicated.
If he knew, he could have told us...
It was a bitter thought.
In the end, were they of no help at all in crucial moments?
She expressed her disappointment with that thought.
Siyeon is pouting right now, isn't she?
Huh?
Making it obvious she's hurt, thinking, "Why didn't you tell us...?" Something like that. Am I wrong?
Well...
And you, Jia, are probably feeling a little hurt inside too.
No! How could I dare feel that way towards you, Seonjonim...
Shin Jia raised her voice.
That's a relief, then. Tell Siyeon not to be too upset either.
Okay.
I probably should have just said something. It sounded so absurd that I held off on saying anything.
The reason Kang Seoyul hadn't told Yuhwa and Meiden, or Shin Jia and Ha Siyeon, was to gain their trust more definitively.
After all, there was a huge difference in the level of trust between telling them before the Gray Out and telling them after.
Besides that, he was confident he could handle the first gate on his own.
Seonjonim. Let me be clear. Even if you told me the world was ending tomorrow, I would believe you.
R-Really?
Kang Seoyul's voice trembled slightly.
Jia's faith was a heavy burden.
Then, trusting you on that, I'll tell you something in advance this time.
What?
If Siyeon's there, can you put me on speaker so she can hear too? It's a pain to explain twice.
Ah, yes. Understood!
Shin Jia quickly placed her phone on the table and switched to speaker mode.
Ah, ah. Can you hear me?
Yes.
Loud and clear~
The two answered at the same time.
Then I'll get straight to the point.
Kang Seoyul said in a serious tone.
In exactly four days, dozens of gates will open simultaneously across all of South Korea.
The two girls' eyes widened.
***
After finishing the call with Jia and Siyeon, I returned to the living room.
Are you done with your call?
Yeah.
The princess was playing with Geumho.
I'd bought a few cat toys, and they were playing, oblivious to the time.
Geumho also seemed to genuinely follow the princess. It was probably thanks to the Beastkin's unique affinity with animals.
Besides, Geumho was a guardian of the Beastkin to begin with.
More importantly, princess. About what we were talking about earlier.
Hm?
The princess tilted her head, looking up at me.
She seemed to be asking, 'What were we talking about?'
I raised the back of my hand to show her and spoke.
This. You called it the Stigmata of Adam.
Aha.
A little while ago, the princess had seen the 'Fire Spirit Tattoo' on the back of my hand and called it the 'Stigmata of Adam'.
I was about to ask what it was, but Jia's call came at that moment, so I had to put it off.
To explain the Stigmata of Adam, I must first tell you the myth of the world's creation... Do you know of the creation myth?
Never heard of it.
What's that about?
Then I suppose I must explain it slowly.
Nyaang?
The princess put down the toy and, holding Geumho in her arms, turned her body fully towards me.
Into this world, which was close to nothingness, the first god appeared.
The princess continued her story softly, as if telling a folktale to her grandchild.
First, he created the sea, the source of life. Then he created the land and the sky. He breathed life into the world.
The beginning was like the preface to any common myth.
Having finished laying the foundation, the god decided to create life forms next. After much trial and error, the god succeeded in settling living beings in the world.
Plants, animals, insects.
The world began to teem with life.
What the god began to create next were intelligent beings. Social creatures that could think and act just as he did.
The princess fiddled with Geumho's front paw, drawing out her words.
However, the task was not so easy.
Creating ordinary life forms and creating intelligent beings with the same capacity for thought as himself.
It was natural that the latter would be more difficult.
After dozens of trials and errors, he failed every time. But after a hundred attempts, he found a way.
The method the god found.
He decided to break off small pieces of his own power and give them form.
The princess took my hand.
That power soon took on dozens of forms. Some became dragons, some became dwarves, and some took the shape of animals.
Then she gently stroked the tattoo on the back of my hand.
Among them were also those formed from the four elements.
Fire, water, wind, earth.
The four great spirits.
What was born from that was the 'Stigmata of Adam'.
The princess gently let go of my hand.
Power that has not yet taken shape; in other words, the origin of a species.
***
In the early hours of that morning, I checked on the princess, who was asleep in the next room hugging Baekho, and walked through the living room out onto the terrace.
The Stigmata of Adam...
I raised the back of my hand to the sky and looked at it.
The spirit's tattoo against the backdrop of countless stars. Green, despite being a fire spiritquite unbalanced.
Why would a stigmata from a myth like that be on my body...?
My head was starting to throb.
The princess had said that she'd muttered it unconsciously because the form was similar, but it probably wasn't the real Stigmata of Adam. It was just a legend that appeared in myths, she'd said.
She was right.
Most of these myths are fiction.
But...
What if this really is the Stigmata of Adam?
The princess had said that the Stigmata of Adam was created when a 'god' broke off a piece of his own power.
And the one who sent me to this world was none other than Kim 'Shin'. A supernatural being with enough power to actually send me to another world.
It makes sense.
God Hyeong, the creator god who sent me to this world, engraved the 'Stigmata of Adam'the creator god's poweronto my body.
It made perfect sense.
Furthermore, if the 'Stigmata of Adam' is the origin of all species, then it wouldn't be strange to acquire the characteristics of a species from this stigmata.
Acquiring the stigmata after obtaining a race-restricted item is a little puzzling, but I suppose it's possible.
Everything fit together, from one to ten.
However, a question still remains.
...What in the world is that Hyeong's goal?
What on earth was God Hyeong's reason for sending me into the world of his own novel?
I think about it dozens of times a day, but I just can't figure it out.
***
The next day, I received a message telling us not to come to school until the Gray Out situation was resolved.
Good.
The reason was slightly different, but just like in the original story, schools were ordered to close.
Right now, the top figures in the government and related industries would be putting their heads together in a meeting. It would be great if this first meeting resulted in a national crisis being declared, but that probably wouldn't happen.
There was no way the government would make the extreme choice to evacuate 50 million citizens just because a single gate opened.
Whether the alarms failed to sound or the communication network went down, the damage wasn't that significant.
If the damage had been severe like in the original story, maybe. But this time, they were most likely just engaging in pointless debate.
I could practically see Yuhwa sitting through the meeting, suppressing her irritation.
It didn't matter. When the second gate opened tonight, once again ignoring the alarms, even the government would have no choice but to move its heavy ass.
My lord. Are you planning to just leave the gate that's supposed to open today?
Yeah. It's a small one anyway, so other superhumans will take care of it even if I don't step in.
Starting tonight, gates that don't register on the alarms will continue to open, but there's no need to worry.
They are all small, emission-type gates with around 10,000 to 20,000 magic power.
There's no need for me to get involved.
Then are we spending the whole day together?
The princess's ears perked up.
I could see an illusion of starlight pouring from her eyes.
Well, I do have to go out for a little while.
...Is that so? Then it cannot be helped.
In an instant, her ears drooped.
It was a visibly sullen expression.
I won't be long.
When you say not long... do you mean about 10 minutes?
That's way too short.
About two or three hours?
The princess stroked Geumho in her arms and gave a pitiful smile.
...Then I suppose I must eat lunch by myself.
The current time was 11:30 AM.
Three hours from now would be well past lunchtime. This princess really hated eating alone.
In any case, I understand. You may go.
The princess returned to her dignified expression. Anyone could tell it was forced.
It pained me a little, but it couldn't be helped. This was that important.
I'll be back soon.
I headed for the entrance.
The princess and the two tiger-cats followed to see me off.
Umm... There was something that child, Ha Siyeon, told me to say at times like this...
The princess watched me put on my shoes, lost in thought.
It seemed Siyeon had taught her something.
Ah!
The princess exclaimed as if she'd realized something and shouted at the same time.
When you come back, Meruna!
...
*Ol ttae Merona*. When you come back, Melona.
The princess had learned a uniquely Korean inside joke far too early.
***
After leaving the house, I sat on a bench in a nearby park, waiting for someone.
I hadn't made any specific plans.
She was the type of woman who would show up on her own if I just waited like this, so I was waiting quietly.
Hello.
She's here.
I turned my head in the direction of the voice.
Shirakawa Ai.
Lust was looking at me with a fresh smile.
...You're going to say it's a coincidence again, aren't you?
Yes. It's so strange how you're always here whenever I go for a walk. At this point, I'm starting to think it might be fate.
The reason I came to this park today was to eliminate any variables in dealing with the upcoming gate outbreak incident.
You might be right. If it's really a coincidence, we might as well call it fate.
That variable was, of course, Lust.
And by extension, it meant the intervention of the Seekers of Truth.
If I didn't resolve this somehow, I'd be too anxious to act properly.
Oh? Seoyul-ssi. You don't believe me, do you? It really is a coincidence.
Lust looked at me with the most aggrieved expression in the world.
I scoffed inwardly.
I'll believe it when it's believable.
How could it be a coincidence when we meet so frequently?
...But it's true.
Lust's expression turned tearful.
Yes. I believe you.
Your face says you don't believe me at all.
An expression that said she couldn't possibly be more wronged.
She could be an actress.
Seoyul-ssi, do you see me as some kind of evil woman who would stalk you?
I do.
An executive of the Seekers of Truth. That says it all.
I plan to deal with Lust today.
After taking care of Vagabond and now Lust, I won't know how those bastards from the Seekers of Truth will react, but it can't be helped.
With this major episode ahead, I can't leave a source of anxiety right under my nose.
Meiden, Yuhwa, Jia, and Siyeon are on standby nearby. All I have to do is lure Lust there.
To do that, I have to act first. Just as I was about to begin my performance,
*Grab.*
Lust grabbed my hand.
Then, with a pleading look in her eyes, she brought her face close to mine.
I really didn't do anything like that! Please believe me!
Her eyes welled up with tears as she insisted on her innocence.
In that instant, my eyes widened like saucers.
It absolutely wasn't because I was impressed by Lust's acting skills.
I was shocked because the new trait I'd gained from the Spirit race had activated.
The Fire Spirit's trait, 'Light of the Soul.'
A trait used by the spiritual Spirit race when forming relationships with other races, an ability to distinguish the color of the soul of the person whose hand you're holding.
The more innocent the soul, the whiter it is, and the more sins it has committed, the blacker it becomes. Furthermore, anyone who has committed murder even once will have a gray soul.
In other words, the soul of Lust, the Sin of Lust and an executive of the Seekers of Truth, should normally be so pitch-black that it's hard to look at.
...It's white?
What?
But the light emanating from Lust's soul was white.
Even if it wasn't the perfect, pure white of the princess's soul, it was close to it. Not gray, but white.
No way.
In other words, Lust had never once committed murder.
Seoyul-ssi? What's wrong?
No, forget murder, the number of sins she'd committed could be counted on one hand...
...
Seoyul-ssi?
She was completely good.